Unsere Ferien in Zürich sind vorbei. Schön wars! Wir hatten alles: Sonne am See ...
After six weeks, it was time to leave Zurich. While we were there we always returned to the lovely lake ...
... wo Neira baden und Pippo Möven jagen konnte.
... where Neira and Pippo rigorously patroled the coast.
Mir den Augen einer Touristin, kann man die Qualitäten seiner Heimatstadt von Neuem geniessen.
When you look at your home town through tourists' eyes you see its charms afresh. Of course, Aila's charms are always fresh.
An manchen Tagen dachten wir, der Frühling sei schon da.
And spring-like weather always helps.
Wir haben unsere Familien getroffen: hier meine Mama und ihre Schwester, meine Tante Greti.
Among the many highlights, Aila could spend quality time with her mother, left, and her aunt.
Und wir haben Freunde getroffen, hier bei einem kulinarisch und önologisch denkwürdigen Nachtessen mit Lisa und Oswald.
It was a great treat to hook up with friends. Here, a delicious and oeneologically edifying dinner with Elisabeth and Oswald.
Oswald erzählt eine Bergsteigergeschichte; Roy fühlt sichtlich mit.
Oswald's climbed a few hills here and there (ha!) and here he's telling me about a particular hairy/scary moment on Mount Kenya. I then recalled the immortal words of Jasper Hutchins, an old Downeaster, when asked if he'd ever been up on the famous, nearby Cadillac Mountain: 'Ain't lost nothin' up there; don't hafta go look for it!'
Und dann war da doch noch der Winter: Blick von Susos und Dieters Wohnzimmerfenster über die Stadt.
We enjoyed a rare and wonderful week of snowy winter during our stay. This is the view from Suso and Dieter's livingroom.
Weil bei Schnee in Zürich obligatorisch die Strassen gesalzen werden, mussten Neira und Pippo nach jedem Spaziergang ein Fussbad nehmen.
Zurich's cryophobia (fear of ice) demands that vast amounts of salt are spread on streets and sidewalks again and again. The floors on buses and trams are salt baths for dogs. And having once underestimated how caustic these salt baths can be, which left Neira's feet raw and bloody, we now scrupulously rinse them when we get home from a tour. The bathtub was enjoyed by all of us but for the dogs it was prophylactic fun.
Und dann war's auch schon wieder Zeit für die Heimreise. Der Nachtzug nach Amsterdam ist mittlerweile schon Routine.
And then it was time to board the City Night Liner for home. The dogs are seasoned travelers and the trip was uneventful.
